Benjamin Williams (politician, 1751)

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Benjamin Williams

Benjamin Williams (born January 1, 1751 in Johnston County , Province of North Carolina , † July 20, 1814 in Moore County , North Carolina ) was an American politician and eleventh and 14th governor of the state of North Carolina.

Early years

Benjamin Williams attended local schools in his homeland and then became a farmer. From 1774 he was politically active. That year he was a delegate to the first North Carolina Revolutionary Convention. After the outbreak of the Revolutionary War , he joined a regiment from North Carolina. In the course of the war he made it to the rank of colonel.

Congressman and Governor

After the war, Williams continued his political career. Between 1779 and 1789 he was alternately in the House of Representatives and the Senate of North Carolina . From 1793 to 1795 he sat in the US House of Representatives , where he represented the eighth constituency of his state.

When Governor William Richardson Davie resigned from office to carry out a peace mission for President John Adams in November 1799 , Williams was elected by the State Parliament as the new Governor of North Carolina. In the following years he was confirmed in his office until he reached the constitutional limit of three consecutive terms of office. In 1805 he ran again for this office, but was defeated by Nathaniel Alexander . Two years later he managed to get re-elected for a one-year term. As governor, Williams worked to improve the school system. It is noteworthy that he pardoned John Stanly , who shot former Governor Richard Spaight in a duel.

Last years

Williams's last term ended on December 12, 1808. He then served another year in the North Carolina Senate before retiring from politics. He died in his Moore County home in 1814. Benjamin Williams was married to Elizabeth Jones. The couple had a son.

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personal data
SURNAME Williams, Benjamin
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH January 1, 1751
PLACE OF BIRTH Johnston County , North Carolina
DATE OF DEATH July 20, 1814
Place of death Moore County , North Carolina